Archaeologists Discover Ancient Canals Used to Trap Fish in Belize 4,000 Years Ago

Pre-Maya hunter-gatherers built the system in Central America in response to a drought between 2200 and 1900 B.C.E., according to a new study

Sarah Kuta
Daily Correspondent
November 27, 2024 1:26 p.m



A 2019 drought allowed researchers to excavate some of the typically waterlogged canals. Belize River East Archaeology Project

Roughly 4,000 years ago, hunter-gatherers in Central America built a network of canals and ponds to trap fish. Their system could have captured enough seafood to feed 15,000 people each year, according to a study published this month in the journal Science Advances.

“It’s really interesting to see such large-scale modifications of the landscape so early—it shows people were already building things,” Claire Ebert, an archaeologist at the University of Pittsburgh who was not involved in the research, tells the Associated Press’ Christina Larson.

The fish-trapping network is located in what is now Belize. It spans nearly 16 square miles and is the oldest known system of its kind in Central America.

In 2017, researchers used drones and Google Earth imagery to investigate the system, which is located within the bounds of the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary in northern Belize. They found 167 excavated trenches and close to 60 ponds, as Science News’ Bruce Bower reports.

More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-discover-ancient-canals-used-to-trap-fish-in-belize-4000-years-ago-180985548/

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This 2019 photo provided by the Belize River East Archaeology project shows investigations of wetland canal features in the CTWS by the research team in Belize. (Belize River East Archaeology project via AP)

https://www.stalbertgazette.com/science-news/archaeologists-discover-4000-year-old-canals-used-to-fish-by-predecessors-of-ancient-maya-9852255

Outstanding in this field!